There are known pedals for motor vehicles that comprise safety mechanisms that are only activated in the event of a head-on collision. These safety mechanisms have the objective of preventing injury to the vehicle driver's limbs when a head-on collision occurs, preventing for that purpose the pedal from suddenly moving towards the driver.
In a potentially harmful head-on collision, with regard to the pedals, the wall to which the pedals are connected is deformed, pushing the support structure of the pedals and the pedals themselves against the driver. In response to this situation, the safety mechanism is activated to prevent the pedals from impacting against the driver's lower limbs.
European Publication EP1557333A1 describes a pedal with a safety mechanism that pivots around a rotation shaft connected to a support piece, said support piece being connected to a wall that separates the inside of the motor vehicle. The safety mechanism comprises a lever fitted in a pivoting manner on the support piece, which is operated, in the event of a head-on collision, by the substantially deformation-resistant part of the vehicle. When said lever rotates, one end of said lever causes a movement of the rotation shaft that forces said rotation shaft to come away from the support piece.
In European Publication EP1787873A1 the support piece comprises a hole in which is fitted the shaft of the pedal and a support area arranged beneath the hole and adapted to support the pedal in the hole. The safety mechanism comprises a cam fitted in a pivoting manner on the support piece, which in the event of a head-on collision deforms the support area of the support piece, allowing the shaft to be released from the hole.
In International Publication WO2010116092A1 the rotation shaft of the pedal described is housed in parallel grooves arranged in two vertical walls of the support of the pedal. The safety mechanism also comprises a cam fixed in a pivoting manner to the support, which in the event of a collision rotates in relation to the support, allowing the rotation shaft to move along the grooves. The cam comprises grooves, arranged respectively in the walls of the cam, substantially parallel to the grooves of the support, the grooves of the cam being passed through by the rotation shaft of the pedal. The grooves of the cam have the shape of the arc of a circle centred at a point close to the rotation shaft of the cam.